Setting the Parameters
Choose a date and time for the tournament. Select a weekend when good weather is forecasted. You’ll also need to decide on the length of the tournament. It can be a few hours during a single day or span the course of the entire weekend. If the tournament will span 2 or more days, it’s best to provide lodging and meals and charge a more expensive entry fee for participants. Make sure to plan this tournament a few months in advance to give people time to clear their schedule and RSVP.Tip: Pick an alternate date in case the weather is poor and you need to reschedule.
Select a location and obtain a permit, if necessary. Depending on where you live and what body of water you choose for the tournament, you may need a permit from the Fish and Game Department. Find out the regulations for your region and be sure to get permission and a permit if you need one. Otherwise, you could face hefty fines for hosting the tournament, especially if money is exchanged.
Establish rules for the participants. Make it clear that each participant must have a valid fishing license. Decide whether the participants will fly fish or bait fish and what species they’ll fish for. You can select one species or a few, depending on your preference and location. Then, determine what kind of rod, reels, flies, and baits will be allowed and whether participants can or must fish from a boat or from shore. Decide if people can fish in teams or if they need to fish individually. You also need to determine how many participants you’ll allow and if there will be an age restriction.
Figure out how you’ll determine the winner. You have a few different options here. Some tournaments reward anglers for catching the biggest fish of the day. You can award prizes for the 3 biggest entries. Other competitions measure success by the number of fish caught or the total weight of the daily catch. A “biggest catch” competition would be easy to judge, as it would only require a quick weigh-in at the end of the day.
Handling Logistics and Registration
Recruit volunteers or hire people to help run the tournament. Ask friends and family members if they’re willing to help you organize and host the tournament. Alternatively, hire people to help check in participants, make announcements, oversee the tournament, weigh and/or measure fish, distribute prizes, and so on. For a 2-day tournament, you might need to hire a chef to prepare meals. It’s also a good idea to have a medic on standby in case of emergencies.
Gather any equipment you’ll need. You’ll likely need tables and chairs for the check-in station, a PA system to make announcements, scales, measuring boards, a boat, and safety and first aid gear. If you’re hosting the anglers overnight, be sure to provide suitable lodging. Let the participants know ahead of time if you’ll provide cabins or tents and if they need to bring their own sleeping bags, pillows, etc.
Set an entry fee. The fee should cover all the expenses you have as well as the prize for the winner, which can be cash or desirable fishing gear. Start by figuring out how much it will cost you to run the tournament. Factor in the cost of the permit, the prizes, any equipment you need, any personnel you need to hire, and lodging and food, if that will be provided. If you’re hosting the tournament as a fundraiser, set a realistic goal for how much money you want to raise and add that your expenses to help determine the entry fee. For a 1-day fishing tournament, a $50 entry fee might work well. If the tournament lasts several days and you’ll be providing food and lodging, $300 might be a better number.
Set up a way for participants to register. It might be easiest to create an online registration form that allows participants to enter their information and pay the fee by credit card or a third-party site (like PayPal). There are plenty of online sites that will allow you to do this for free, so do some research and find the one that works best for you. Set up the form so that the participants must read all the rules and parameters before registering. Create a separate bank account to deposit the entry fees into.Safety Precaution: Have a lawyer look over your registration form to ensure that, by signing the form, participants release you of any liability in case they are injured.
Advertise the tournament. Create posts on social media and classified sites to drum up participants. Also, flyers to distribute around town and to local fishing clubs. Be sure to include all the pertinent details in each ad, including the time, date, location, and entry fee for the tournament. Include details about the tournament format as well.
Hosting the Tournament
Go over the rules when participants check in. Assign someone to check in each angler and ensure they have paid the fee. Don’t assume that everyone is familiar with (or remembers) the regulations. As participants check in, remind them about the format, time limit, and other parameters.Tip: Make sure that each participant has a valid fishing license!
Make sure the anglers are fishing safely. Spend your time out on the water. Try to meet each participant over the course of the day or weekend. Do a quick inspection of their gear and make sure they’re following the rules you’ve set. Be prepared to answer questions and handle issues as they arise. Give updates to volunteers and participants as the tournament progresses.
Oversee the process of weighing or counting the fish. As the tournament organizer, your primary responsibility is to make sure the competition is run fairly. At the end of the tournament, conduct the weighing or counting yourself, or oversee whoever is in charge of it, so that you can attest to the legitimacy of the process.
Hand out prizes to the winner(s). Once all the measuring and counting is done, it’s time to award prizes! Use the PA system to announce the winner(s) and pass out the cash or prizes. If the tournament was a success, consider making it an annual event!
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